Finding Color

Part Three

"Incredible," Voldemort murmured to himself.

"Ginny? What are you doing here? Are you okay?" Draco's voice might have sounded worried, but it was forgotten as he gave up all sense of propriety and rushed over to her.

She eagerly tucked herself into his arms as they circled her.

"I wanted to see again," she said in a voice loud enough to project through the room. Draco could tell she was lying, but only because he knew her so well. "You give me that, so I came here."

"You silly girl," he said in a slightly quieter voice, giving the illusion to everyone listening in to their conversation that he was trying to say something private. "You didn't have to come here and endanger yourself."

"She has offered her powers to me in return for you, Malfoy," Voldemort hissed, interrupting their conversation.

Ginny pulled herself free of Draco's arms and laughed. "I most certainly did not! I offered you my services and when you did not agree to take them, I offered you what knowledge I have left to give instead. My powers were never offered, only spoken about," Ginny smiled up at Voldemort as he seethed. "You have given me Draco, so, when you ask, I will give you knowledge."

"It's too bad for you, Miss Weasley," Voldemort hissed, angry that he had been duped and that he was about to lose taking her powers for himself. His wand rose to menacingly point at her before he continued. "That you are here, under my power. You will do as I tell you or you will perish."

Draco thought that Ginny willingly backed into his arms, but knew that it wasn't for comfort. It was almost as if she were protecting him. Her eyes were closed and her skin gave off a pale white glow that let Draco know she was using her magic. He closed his hands on her shoulders.

"I came here under my own power and I will leave here under my own power," Ginny snapped. "When you want what I have offered, call Draco to you and I will come as well."

Draco felt a pulling sensation, much like when traveling by Portkey, and when his eyes focused again they were inside his bedroom in Malfoy Manor.

"He's going to kill you, you know," Draco said as he guided her over to sit on his bed.

"He won't be able to," Ginny said, although her voice didn't sound nearly as steady as it had a few seconds ago. She was shaking so Draco quickly joined her on the bed and wrapped his arms comfortingly around her.

"Gods, what are you doing here?" Draco moaned as she crawled into his lap.

"Saving your life," she said into his neck. "Spying for the Order, since you certainly can't. Using you so I can see again. Take your pick."

"Endangering your life. Scaring me half to death. Take your pick," Draco echoed with a worried snarl.

He could tell that she was afraid. Who wouldn't be after coming face-to-face with Voldemort and surviving the encounter? The aftershocks of what she had done were shaking her body so much that he was afraid his arms wouldn't hold her.

"Calm down, Ginny," Draco said. He was worried that she might hurt himself if she didn't relax.

Her magic was also flaring along her body, giving off little flashes of light that made Draco want to close his eyes from the sudden glare.

"Shh," Draco whispered as he began to rock her in his arms. "I've got you. It's okay."

Slowly, ever so slowly, she calmed down. By the time Lucius Malfoy came storming into the room she was asleep, happily snuggled in his arms.

"Draco!" Lucius snapped.

Draco held up his hand to forestall his father before the man could yell anything else and wake up Ginny.

"Don't wake her up," Draco whispered.

"What the hell's going on?" Lucius snarled in a slightly quieter voice.

"Ginny and I found out that I give her back her colors," Draco said to stay in keeping with the story Ginny was using. "Our relationship stems from there."

"Relationship?" Lucius sniffed. "With a Weasley?"

"With a witch who can use wandless magic like it was a child's toy," Draco corrected, although he gave Ginny a discrete squeeze just in case she was listening.

"Wandless magic," Lucius scoffed. "Impossible."

"She lost her wand sometime in her fifth year at school," Draco said sharply as he felt Ginny stir in his arms. "Since she doesn't need it, she never went looking for it."

"You're telling me she conjured a chair, deflected an Unforgivable Curse, and Apparated out of a room covered in anti-apparition wards, all without a wand?"

"I did," Ginny spoke up as she lifted her head from Draco's shoulder. "And now I'm tired. Please go away."

Lucius Malfoy spluttered. "You are in my house and have effectively kidnapped my son from me. How dare you speak to me like this!"

Ginny sighed and pulled herself from Draco's comforting arms. She got off the bed and stood, staring defiantly at Draco's father.

"I don't really care what you think," she sighed out. "I am here for a reason and the fact that the reason includes your son, which therefore has you terribly worried for his safety, does not mean that you have the right to yell at me."

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Draco sighed and rolled over so he wouldn't have to watch his father go through Ginny's inspection.

"You enjoy having power over others," she said in that echoing voice of hers that lifted the hairs on Draco's neck. "You enjoy watching others come to you asking for mercy. However, you do not enjoy it when you can't grant that mercy on your own terms. You joined Voldemort for the illusion of the power he said he could give you. Now you're stuck, powerless and sick of killing those who used to grudgingly come to you for aid."

"And you know all of this how?" Lucius sneered, trying to pretend that her words hadn't rattled him.

"The same way I know that Draco doesn't hate you for dragging him into this," Ginny replied with a sad smile as she finally opened her eyes. "Now, if we're done with the power play, I really am tired."

She turned away from Draco's father and Draco rolled back over to let her climb back into his arms. She had clearly been up late before making her entrance to the Death Eaters and then she used enough magic to seriously deplete her stores. Draco had been woken up in the middle of the night to come collect her, so he was just as tired.

Lucius Malfoy left and it wasn't long before they were both asleep.